Red Blossoms
by Kirachi
Summary: An Iljimae fanfiction. A young woman finds herself stranded in a strange land. When she seeks help will Iljimae answer? Iljimae Korean Drama Lee Jun Ki
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

**This is an Iljimae fanfiction. I have a feeling it won't be very popular but I hope some of the readers from my other stories will give it a try and let me know any thoughts. I am a little undecided as to if I will keep up with this story, but I hope to finish it. You don't need to know the story of Iljimae before reading this, I will be telling my own story.**

**Any thoughts and support are most welcome.**

""""

Her footfalls thudded across the dry soft ground of the forest, the rotten vegetation underfoot aiding her wish to be unheard and silent. The sky was quickly darkening, the sun now no more than a dull ball of red fire on the horizon, sinking with each small moment that passed. Her mind screamed at her to turn back, to return the way she had come but the memories that place flashed into her thoughts gave her renewed strength to stay her course.

Was she running away? Emmi wasn't sure, she wasn't sure of anything anymore. How long had she been held captive on this strange shore, far away from the loving arms of her Mother, sisters and brother? To think now what had led her here seemed foolish and childish, the thrill of adventure, the longing to see faraway places and experience what many a woman of her own country could only dream about. But this land had not been her Father's intended destination, this was not the vast expanse of China with many pretty, delicate silks for her to coo and fawn over, this place was hostile, mysterious and afraid of outsiders.

The journey had gone so well at first, a touch of seasickness struck her for the first week and she'd been confined to her cabin in the bulk of the massive wooden ship. Emmi had felt every single bump and movement the vessel made as it was carried over the ocean, many nights she'd lain awake with the nauseous feeling and bitterly cursed her judgement in begging her Father to allow her to come along on the journey.

Her Father, Lord Capesthorne, had never been a man with much will when it came to his children and for many long years he had struggled and pushed against the unsightly wilfulness his second to youngest daughter caused him. But finally he had relented and bidden her to go with him, perhaps secretly hoping the toil and labour of travelling and the shock of never seen before sights would calm her will to something he could mould and shape to become more like her sisters. The only condition was that Alice, her personal maid, accompany them as well. Emmi had felt guilty at this for a short time, knowing Alice would be fearful of the idea, but in the end her own will to see the world won out over her maid's silent protests.

Emmi had been but eighteen then, naive and unafraid of the world. The eagerness of reckless youth tugged at her to be wild and free, but now... Now she wished for nothing more than to be at home once again, surrounded by her family, the fire roaring merrily in the great wooden panelled hall, sewing by candlelight as her Father's four large hunting dogs slept away the hours.

The day the great storm at sea had come had begun as any other, the sun seemed bright, the climate warmer than her home country. The view for miles was once again nothing but dark blue waves. She'd breathed deeply of the salty air before returning to her cabin to try and entertain herself in the best way she could manage. The months had been long and the same constant sights that met her gaze every day tiresome and tedious. The feeling on the boat changed as the water became choppy, the clouds darkening and shouts from on deck reached her hearing. They had passed through storms before and she had felt little worry, it seemed absurd now to think nature is always so forgiving.

The waves had tossed the ship to and fro like a toy. Emmi had overheard later that a man had been lost at sea, falling overboard with no hope of aid or recovery. What came next on that fateful day was a blur in her memories, a rush of noises and dark colours. By the time her mind could make any sense of the situation her father was dragging her forcefully onto a small wooden boat. She watched wide eyed as most of the crew scurried about deck, some getting into other small wooden boats, others trying desperately to throw buckets of water over the side. The whole floor at her feet had been ankle deep in sea water and it was in that moment she'd realised, the boat was sinking, slowly but surely. With what possessions she had managed to gather quickly in her cabin between her Father's desperate pleas for her to not tarry, Emmi clumsily got into the unsafe, tiny-feeling vessel, Alice following close behind, a look of sheer terror etched upon her face.

They'd been hurriedly lowered down, the little boat containing seven people, onto the still choppy waters below. Two men had begun to row with all their might, taking them away from the large ship, its lights of candles and oil lamps still burning brightly in the darkness of the night. She clutched at her Father's arm like a frightened child, unsure just what their fate would be out here with no land in sight and no hope of aid and too afraid to voice the question to the men around her. Her Father had laid a protective arm around her shoulders, giving her a small gesture of comfort.

They continued rowing into the blackness, the panic to get away before the ship went under upon everyone's mind. By morning it became apparent that no other boats could be seen, whether they had been sucked under in the wake of the large sinking vessel or moved from their line of sight, none would ever gain knowledge upon their fate.

Time had lost meaning after that night, for many days and nights they drifted, heading in the general direction that many assumed land to be. Each day their hope was broken and the supplies waned. It would only be a matter of time before food and water ran out completely and starvation would claim them. They became weak, the sun's rays stripping them of energy and the cold moon making them shiver. By the time land was spotted it took all of the will of those onboard to make it to the dull sandy beach. As Emmi left the boat her legs collapsed beneath her, unused to the stillness of dry land and the position of standing upright. Alice had clung to her, even in her own distress she had tried to attend to her mistress.

It seemed none of them would be given a moment of rest as people, natives of this land began to gather on the sandy ground nearby, keeping their distance, pointing and talking in a language Emmi didn't understand and couldn't place. Her Father was the first to try and approach them his arms outstretched in a gesture of peace. The men stood their ground and after coming to the conclusion that these strangers did not speak their mother tongue, Lord Capesthorne was ordered with firm movements to stay where he was.

Once more Emmi's life descended into a blur as time seemed to hasten past her with great speed. They were taken from the beach by very official looking men in strange clothing and even stranger hats to her eyes. They were not treated with malice or cruelty, but the fact neither could understand the other led to a very solemn journey away from the small fishing village to a large city full of buildings and people. It was so different to what she had been used to, the styles of the architecture, the way people dressed, even the food that was eaten, all was alien to her.

Seeming to sense by the way her Father was dressed that he was in fact a man of worth, Emmi, Alice and Lord Capesthorne were separated from the remaining four men that had shared their small boat many days before and taken away. Her Father made little protest, knowing his steps must fall carefully in this unknown place and his words had been stinging when Emmi questioned his actions. They had been taken to a large and rather grand looking house encased in beautifully tended gardens of flowers and twisted trees. The man who owned this wealthy abode had welcomed them in with a warm but insincere smile, giving them food, water and fresh clothing along with a bed upon the floor. This was just one of the many aspects Emmi had to become used to as the months passed and turned into years. Two long, homesick years she had lived in this place. They had all been given extensive lessons in the language and her Father had picked it up with relative ease, his passion for learning aiding him and within the year he had been able to have clumsy conversations with the people around them.

The place they had found themselves in was called Korea, a place name that was not wholly unknown to her Father or herself, she'd seen the country on maps but little to nothing was known about it in the western world. It soon became apparent that they would not be allowed to leave freely from here, a law forbade anyone to go out of this land, the general feeling seemed to be that this place wanted to keep itself to itself and wanted no influence from the outside world, and also did not wish the outside world to know about them. Her Father had many late night discussions with many grand looking men, trying to be granted safe passage but it seemed a useless plea that fell upon deaf ears. The men always shook their heads firmly. This was to be their home now until they died. Emmi had wept bitterly for many days, lashing out at her Father with harsh words, she felt she needed to blame someone, anyone that wasn't herself. She already felt wretched for coming on this journey.

She became moody, withdrawn from anything but her Father and Alice, refusing to accept requests for her to dine with anyone that wasn't whom she already knew, much to the shame and loss of face this served her Father. Emmi began to hate this place, the food, the clothes she was forced to wear... everything that could possibly be wrong was wrong for her. She could have borne it if she had known they would be returning to familiarity, but they weren't, she would be forced to live here until her last breath and there was nothing she could do to change the tide of her fate; it had been chosen for her.

She'd been content for a time to just be in her own little bubble of a world, where she and Alice talked of home and fooled themselves into thinking that one day they would return to it. But this imprudent life was shattered when she was forced to attend on her Father's arm at special banquets and formal occasions, there was only so much guilt her Father could pile upon her before she cracked under the pressure and obeyed his commands.

It was a strange feeling to be seen by all around you as no more than a curiosity, an oddness to be stared and gawped at. Her features and hair colour were different to the people she was forced to mingle with, nobles and high ranking officials whom she held stunted conversations with only when they addressed her first. Her grasp of the language was acceptable, she could understand easily what was spoken to her now, but speaking was sometimes a problem. She lacked confidence in her pronunciation, but she and Alice often practiced. Emmi had come to accept that she had to try, had to learn to enable herself to live in this place and make the pain of leaving home sting a little less.

It had only been a matter of time before a few of the noble men turned their heads her way. The flare in their eyes similar to ones she had encountered back home. At first it had been amusing to both Emmi and her maid; they'd laughed, discussing how similar men were no matter where the country and that these particular men probably visited shady establishments filled with sordid women. The humour had soon dried and turned sour as the gazes did not abate and Emmi became aware that it was not her they were favouring but Alice and her strikingly golden hair. Now the fun was nowhere to be found. Emmi knew she was protected, her Father's rank and the interest he drew to the many nobles gave them both safety, but Alice was a mere servant and if a man wanted he could have her, if he caught her alone. Emmi had taken to not straying far from her maid's side, insisting they had a lock fitted within their shared rooms. She had to bear the fact that Alice had lost everything worldly because of her; she would not risk the loss of soul and spirit as well.

At the thought Emmi came out of her torrent of memories, her breathing was a little shallow and she slowed her pace to a stop, resting her back on a nearby tree and closing her eyes in the darkness that now surrounded her in this forest. Today she had found out all her efforts were in vain, Alice was broken, her spirit and will to live shattered. Emmi had felt sick as her maid had gabbled out what had befallen her and then Emmi had fled to the gardens. She'd never wanted to see that tear-stained face again, never wanted to look into those pained eyes... The main doorway had been open, allowing in a cart of food for the kitchens and she had made a split decision right then and there to run. She hadn't given her mind time to think, to conjure reasons that this was an insane thing to do, she had nowhere to go, no aid to be had, but still she had run. She carefully and quickly made her way past many buildings until a patch of forest spread before her; the sight of the trees had spurred her legs onwards. This was how she now came to be here, leant against a tree in the cold darkness with no rhyme or reason to why she had done it and no thoughts of what she would do now.

She wondered if there would now be men searching for her, were her Father and Alice worried? She let out a low groan, she'd just made everything worse for everyone yet her pride stilled her feet from taking her back the way she had come. She couldn't seem to find any answer no matter how much she searched. Finally she pushed herself from the trunk of the tree and forced herself to walk forward, her steps held little conviction but she assumed if she moved the right decision would make itself known to her.


	2. Chapter 2

It was in the dark stillness only moments later that Emmi heard a noise that froze her blood, the distant whines and barks of dogs from somewhere far behind her. She stopped, her heart beginning a fluttered beating within her breast, she turned on the spot and peered with anticipation down the path. For a long moment her gaze saw nothing but the trees cast in a sickly glow from the full moon, but then a hint of orange light flickered. They'd come for her, come to take her back to that abominable place and her instincts kicked in, urging her to flee, to go far from here to safety where she could decide what her next move would be. Whether she wanted to return or not, she wanted the decision to be her own. She allowed her gaze to dart to the thick covering of the forest around her and her mind was set.

Her feet carried her forward and she blindly stumbled into the enclosure of the trees and undergrowth. The long silk skirts of her hanbok snagged on branches and twigs, slowing her movements and making her begin to huff breaths with a mixture of annoyance and desperation. The noises behind her were still far enough away to stop her panic becoming too heightened, but once again the uncertainty of what she was doing and where she would go tugged uncomfortably at her insides and she did all she could to ignore their constant gnawing, trying her best to focus on the task before her. But Emmi knew her chances were thinning, her choices narrowed, it was only a matter of time before the men searching for her found her... would she be punished? Would it be harsh, violent? Would her Father look at her in disappointment?

These thoughts she could not push away no matter how hard she willed it to be so. Perhaps it would be better if she just stopped where she now was and waited, allowing them to find her, allowing it all to be over. Once again her pride stabbed at her, not allowing her to entertain this self pitying thought for too long and she barrelled onwards, the effort of the overgrown foliage seeming to be intent in foiling her escape.

The silence about her only served to pique her hearing to the noise of her own laborious breathing. She turned her head at the sound of a loud bark, much closer now... they were gaining. Panic fluttered like a frightened bird against her chest, her eyes still searching for any sign of movement in the darkness behind her. Suddenly her body's flight came to an abrupt and brutal stop as it collided with an object in her path. The impact made her reel backwards and her balance was lost before she connected harshly with the ground with a dull thud, the wind knocked from her lungs. Emmi let out a small cry and then a spluttered cough as her eyes darted quickly to the source of her fall, a shadowed figure stood before her, its posture stating that it too had reeled from their meeting. She studied this person with great haste, instantly noticing that there were no signs of the uniform of a guard and becoming aware that it was a young male, his face held an almost comical expression of shock and surprise.

Another large bark broke the stagnant silence between them and both their attentions turned to the sound with small gasps of distress. The young man looked down at her, his manner hesitant before he offered a hand to her in a silent gesture of aiding her to her feet. Emmi gladly took the offering and pulled herself to her full height with his help. Another bark resounded and both jumped, startled, Emmi's eyes again sought behind them, the orange glow was now in the forest. She turned her attention back to the man, her thoughts quickly mulling over the idea of running before he could decide to hold her and turn her over to the guards.

"Are you running from them?" The sudden noise made her start and returned her to the present situation.

She stared up at him dumbfounded. Her mind raced with words that she could respond with but none would reach her lips.

The man made an annoyed clicking sound with his tongue and seeming to decide for her he again spoke."Come" he said, and before she could give any kind of reply his hand had wrapped around her wrist and she was being pulled, urged forward once again. The man seemed to know his way well enough and easily made a path around the more grasping undergrowth that would only have hindered them. Emmi tried her hardest to keep pace, but the long hours she had been out here made her movements clumsy and slow, she found she was having to concentrate hard to even try and not begin to lag behind.

The noises of pursuit behind them seemed to have intensified two fold. Emmi wasn't sure if it was their desperate flight that caused her to hear it so much more clearly or had the dogs picked up their scent... she tried not to dwell upon either option.

Their path was soon blocked by a wide but slow moving river. Emmi's gaze glanced along the bank, searching for a bridge or crossing point but there appeared to be none at all. She glanced up at the man who still held her wrist in a vice like grip as his eyes too darted from one feature of the landscape to another. Finally he gave her a firm tug and began to slide and stumble down the muddy bank towards the water. As the realisation of what he was doing washed over her, Emmi struggled against him, trying to break his grip but he held fast. Seeming to grow annoyed by her sudden heated protest he turned to her, his long hair dancing about his shoulders from the quick movement.

"We have to go into the water" he said, a little slowly and loudly as if she was hard of hearing.

Emmi continued to stare at him with wide fearful eyes, not trusting this strange man's judgement. Finally she shook her head, the water looked cold and she had no desire to sample it. Why couldn't they just move further down the bank, find a crossing?

"The dogs" the man said again, in that same slow voice. His eyes travelled across her face as if trying to discern if she had understood him. He rolled his eyes before repeating "Dogs", and stuck his tongue out, panting like an animal and letting out a small bad imitation of a bark. He then sniffed the air over dramatically and placed a finger to his nose and then pointed at her. "Dogs" he again said, with a firm nod.

Emmi gave a reluctant nod of understanding and allowed him to lead her into the water. She gave out a startled gasp as the freezing water touched the skin of her legs and she waded into its depths. Her skirt ballooned around her, making all movement hard. Her fingers dug into the wrist of the young man, suddenly feeling afraid that he would abandon her as he became aware that aiding her would be a hardship. He turned back to her at the contact and paused his steps, his face serious.

"I will not let go." He shook his head to reaffirm his words and his own grip tightened. Emmi gave a breathless nod of thanks. "Come on" he said, giving her a gentle tug, "keep trying." His voice was a soft mumble and she doubted he had intended her to hear him clearly.

The journey across the river was slow, but with each step the bank on the other side grew nearer giving hope that all may yet be well. The sounds were still present somewhere behind them in the forest, but they had yet to come upon the river. Emmi could feel her silken slippers slipping upon the mud and rocks that lay upon the river bed. She gave a small shallow cry as she lost her footing and one of her shoes came off completely, lost to the slow moving water which was now lapping at her shoulders. The young man's grip tightened further for a moment as he felt her stumble and seeing she was not in danger they continued. The bank was but arms length away when the sounds on the other side signalled the guards had reached the river.

Without warning the man turned, his eyes once again searching, thinking, before he looked at her and took in a deep breath, indicating for her to do the same. Emmi did as she was bidden and took in a lungful of air, holding it before his hand was upon her head pushing her beneath the water. She had a sudden urge to gasp again as the chill of her surroundings engulfed her entire body, but she suppressed it by placing a hand over her mouth. She was aware that he was beside her, his hand still wrapped about her wrist, the contact reassuring and much needed in this moment. He pulled her through the water to a cluster of high and brushy reeds and once there he pulled on her arm, indicating that they could now surface.

Emmi took in a deep breath of fresh air, her lungs ached from the effort of being underwater and she gasped softly as she grew accustomed to breathing once again. She glanced at the bedraggled man beside her, who was as wet and cold looking as she herself felt. He was not paying attention to her but was busy peering out of the reeds before he let out a deep sigh of relief and fell back a little against the nearby bank.

"They're gone" he whispered, almost as if it had been a prayer of thanks. After a few minutes had passed in silence he seemed to realise they were still more than chest deep in freezing cold water and pulled himself fully onto dry land before helping her to do the same. He then led them into more forest and down a path that bore little sign of recent use.

They walked in silence for what felt like hours to Emmi, she wanted to stop, to make him turn so she could thank him for helping her ,but something within her stilled her from speaking, from asking where he now took her. It was strange, but despite the fact they had barely met, in this moment Emmi felt she could trust him. He had no reason to help her, she supposed she had little choice but to rely on him and hope that he was the kind and helping type.

Just as her muscles were beginning to cramp and with the coldness of the river water stiffening her movements she spied a small, dilapidated wooden shack ahead of them. It was the sight of this building that seemed to call to her mind the fact that she was a woman of noble blood, alone in the woods, unchaperoned, with a man who was little more than a stranger, far from anyone she knew. She glanced up at him, he had kept his word and not let go of her, his hand still around her wrist, and Emmi began to wonder if this was indeed a good thing or a bad thing. She would have to twist violently to remove his grip and she felt sure she could not outrun him in her current state... She inwardly shook her head, forcing her mind to still it's constant worry, if he had meant her ill he would have made his intentions known to her by now, they had been alone for a quite some time.

When they reached the shack he allowed his hand to slip away from her as he began to gather up small chunks of wood that were stacked neatly against the wall. He opened the door and it let out a creak of protest before he walked into the building and the darkness within swallowed him from her sight. She could hear him moving but hesitated to follow, wondering if she should indeed walk away and find her own path through the forest, but her shivering body wanted the warmth a house offered and so she waited.

Her worry further eased as he came outside and laid the wood upon the ground before bringing a small fire into being, giving the night surrounding them a warm glow to see by. He dusted his hands across his thighs, dispelling the dirt of wood and soot, before he turned his gaze upon her and gestured with his hand for her to sit.

Emmi needed no second invitation and quickly took a place by the fire, stretching her hands out to the warmth it offered. She knew it would take a while for her clothes and hair to dry but this did not concern her, she had no intention of stripping in front of a stranger and the cold would ease and become somewhat bearable if she had some form of drying herself, even only a little. She inspected her hair with careful fingers, it was still in a long braid down her back but she guessed it no longer looked pristine and her looks were probably not favourable, she decided this was perhaps not unwholly a bad thing.

She turned her eyes to the young man, realising that she had been avoiding focusing her attention upon him, it seemed he held little interest in her in that moment as he had pulled a rather large packet out of his shirt and was studying it with a gleeful glint, making self satisfied noises and hisses through his teeth.

Emmi opened her mouth and forced the words out. "Thank you, for helping me."

His gaze jerked to her own, his eyes holding surprise, and it seemed he studied her for a long time. "I didn't think you could understand me" he finally replied.

"I can understand you" Emmi said, a little indignantly.

The man cocked his head to one side as if thinking. "You didn't talk at all."

"I was afraid."

His eyes narrowed, his look suddenly becoming suspicious. "Why were they after you? You aren't Korean... what are you?"

She suddenly felt affronted by his question. Here she was seen as the oddity, but if he came to her country the roles would surely be reversed and the self righteous knowledge that she should not be the one suffering these kinds of questions and curiosity, irked her.

"I'm from England" she said proudly, but the man gave no flicker of response to her words. "It's a very powerful place!" she added, feeling as if he should at least acknowledge her homeland.

"I know of it" he said with a loud sniff, as if dismissing her. "It's far, far away." He made a half mocking gesture in the air, playing the fool for his own amusement. "I saw it on a map once."

"What are you doing here so far from your home, England?" He grinned and suddenly Emmi didn't like this stranger much, she felt he was taunting her.

"That is not your concern!" she spat, and he stared at her with a bemused expression.

"Suit yourself, but I did save your life, you now owe me a gift in return." He grinned.

"What do you mean?" Emmi said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"It's custom here, you're life is forfeit until you repay me." He winked softly and Emmi once again got the distinct feeling he was teasing her.

"What kind of reward? Do I look like I have anything to give you?"

The man rubbed his chin in mock deep thought. "You can tell me what I want to know, since I rescued you I should know what kind of person I helped, don't you agree?"

Emmi glanced to where he sat beyond the firelight. "You didn't give me much of a choice whether to accept rescue or not" she huffed. But her insides tugged slightly, he was right, she owed him that much and at least he wasn't demanding money or other fine gifts in exchange. "Alright" she relented.

"Why were you running from the guards? What had you done?" he said, wasting no time with his questioning.

"Nothing..." she tried, but his expression was plain, he knew she was lying. No woman would be chased through the forest by guards for no reason. "I ran away." She finally let out the words, feeling relief upon speaking them, of having someone to listen.

"Ran away from?" he pried.

"A life in a cage" she said sadly. "I just..." she began, but words failed her and her hands fell leadenly into her lap.

"Hmm?" he urged.

"I had to get away from there, I hate it here! I just want to go home."

The man nodded. "Well, it seems I have already helped you this far. If I can help you further I'll try." His face had taken on a serious expression.

"Why?" Emmi suddenly felt the need to understand his motives.

"Because many people live in cages in this city, they just can't see the bars." He gave a weak smile and she half heartedly returned it.

"I'm Yong." He held out his hand towards her in greeting.

"Emmi." She gladly accepted the offer of his name with her own.


End file.
